The voice of scared shitless reason said, "Oh my God, oh my God! She's got a gun. She's got a gun!" - Jason Tanamor

I considered myself white, having grown up essentially American but with Filipino parents. I don't speak with an accent and I barely speak Tagalog. So, for most of my life, I looked at the world as a 'white' person.

Like many American born Asian-Americans, I wanted to assimilate as a child. I wanted to fit in. As I grew older, I realized that instead of fitting in, why not stand out?

The most Filipino thing about me is the way I look. Having grown up essentially in American culture, for the longest time I'd identified first as an American and second as a Filipino.